Man Pleads Guilty to Robbery in Indian Country

A Tulsa man pleaded guilty this morning after he forcefully pulled a woman from her car and then stole it, announced U.S. Attorney Trent Shores.

Tyler Jonathan Martin, 28, of Tulsa, pleaded guilty before Chief U.S. District Judge John E. Dowdell. Martin is an enrolled member of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation. His sentencing is set for April 12, 2021.

“When his efforts to verbally intimidate an elderly woman were unsuccessful, Tyler Martin used physical violence to push her to the ground and steal her truck from a Walmart parking lot,” said U.S. Attorney Trent Shores. “I’m thankful the victim is okay now and commend the FBI, Tulsa Police Department, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin Fletcher for their collaborative efforts.”

In his plea agreement, Martin admitted that on July 7, 2019 he used force, violence, and intimidation to take a Ford F-150 from the victim. Martin stated that he approached the victim in a Walmart parking lot and demanded that she give him the keys to her truck. When the victim refused, Martin admitted to pulling her from the truck and pushing her to the ground. When the keys fell to the ground, Martin grabbed the keys and drove off, knowing that the victim had sustained injuries from his actions.

The FBI and the Tulsa Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin C. Fletcher is prosecuting the case. AUSA Fletcher is a prosecutor from the Northern District of Iowa. He volunteered to assist prosecution efforts here in the Northern District of Oklahoma due to the increased volume of cases since the Supreme Court’s ruling which stated the Creek Nation Reservation had never been officially disestablished by Congress. The United States and the Muscogee (Creek) Nation have jurisdiction of all cases that occur on the reservation involving Native American victims or defendants.